世論 What Japan Thinks

This interesting recent report from Nippon Research Council, conducted in conjunction with Gallop Korea, looked into the degree of interest in environmental issues in South Korea and Japan.

Demographics

For Japan, between the 7th and 19th of November 2007 1,200 people were selected at random, weighted by region, from a database of households, and were interviewed both face to face and had questionnaires left to fill in. 50.4% of the sample were female, and the ages were distributed between 15 and 79 years old. For South Korea, between the 12th and 26th of June 2008 1,510 people were selected at random, weighted by region, sex and age, and were interviewed face to face. 50.6% of the sample were female, and the ages of those sampled were 19 or older.

I wish I knew more about South Korea to know how best to interpret the results. For instance, in Q2 only 5% of Koreans recycling their bathwater for use by their washing machines, but is this due to showering being more popular in Korea? Similarly, in Q1SQ Koreans are much more aware of fresh water pollution. Why?
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Although other reports have shown that visitors to the home-grown competitor to YouTube, Nico-Nico Douga, stay longer and watch more per session, in terms of both visitor numbers and total viewing time, YouTube is still ahead. Therefore, this survey reported on by japan.internet.com and conducted by JR Tokai Express Research Inc looked only at YouTube.

Demographics

On the 6th of August 2008 330 members of the JR Tokai Express Research monitor group employed inb either public or private industry completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 69.7% of the sample were male, 9.7% in their twenties, 36.1% in their thirties, 41.2% in their forties, 10.6% in their fifties, and 2.4% in their sixties.

Q1 is a bit of a poor question as when you first access it defaults to the country and language setting of you browser (I think), but from a menu on top you can change both the language and the default country, so presenting a binary Japan versus USA is incorrect. I use Japan as my location and UK English as my language, so how would I answer?

Q2 is also confusing as what is entertainment? I guess that means clips from television variety programs, but it’s difficult to be sure.
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In the west, I hear that Bluetooth-based telephone number and email address exchange is the standard way. However, this recent survey conducted by goo Research and reported on by japan.internet.com into mobile phone address books showed very different habits in Japan.

Demographics

Between the 30th of July and the 3rd of August 2008 1,001 members of the goo Research monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.0% of the sample were male, 11.3% in their teens, 23.5% in their twenties, 21.4% in their thirties, 16.2% in their forties, and 27.7% aged fifty or older.

The main reason for Bluetooth not being used is that it is far from standard on mobile phones. I’ve looked before at Bluetooth in Japan, but why it has never taken off is a mystery to me, although the fact that infrared was already established as a standard on Japanese phones might have something to do with it.

I rarely exchange telephone numbers with people, but when I have it is always one person calls the other that we do, mainly as people can’t remember where to find the infrared menu options! For Q1, my mobile phone number is 090-xxxx-8128, but I haven’t a clue what the four digits in the middle are.
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You can’t say that I don’t present obscure corners of Japanese opinion (and I’ve got an even more obscure corner for next week!) with this look by MyVoice at dinosaurs.

Demographics

Over the first five days of July 2008 13,867 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 1% in their teens, 16% in their twenties, 38% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 16% in their fifties.

When I was a kid I used to have a poster of a T Rex fighting with a triceratops hung on my bedroom wall. When I stayed in Edinburgh there was a shop called Mr Wood’s Fossils that I always wanted to stop at and buy something, but I could never justify the cost!

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If you want to find a reason to dislike Japan, visiting 2 channel is probably the best place to start. This recent survey from JR Tokai Express Research Inc and reported on by japan.internet.com into the 2 channel bulletin board system found an awful lot of people use the place.

Demographics

On the 10th of July 2008 331 members of the JR Tokai Express Research monitor group employed in either the private or public sector completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 74.9% of the sample were male, 7.3% in their twenties, 40.2% in their thirties, 38.1% in their forties, and 14.5% in their fifties.

The popular image of 2 channel amongst the portion of the gaijin internet users that I am familiar with is of it as a place of unfettered right-wing strongly-nationalistic hate-mongerers. A standing joke, based very much on fact, is that whenever a Japanese person commits a headline-worthy crime, the 2 channelers will dig up a Korean ancestor for them so as to deny the wrong-doer is one of “us”.

Having said that, I don’t really know what percentage of 2 channel (by volume or by frequency of access) is of that reprehensible kind. Do any of my readers have a feel for this?

Oh, and 2 channel is blocked at work by our firewall proxy, I think. I can’t check as they’ve just recently started asking people about why they accessed blocked sites, and I don’t fancy trying to explain that away!
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This rather interesting look at electronic item purchasing was conducted by JR Tokai Express Research Inc and reported on by japan.internet.com.

Demographics

Over the 29th and 30th of July 2008 330 members of the JR Tokai Express Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 60.0% of the sample were female, 2.1% in their teens, 9.4% in their twenties, 46.1% in their thirties, 22.1% in their forties, 10.3% in their fifties,5.2% in their sixties, and 4.8% aged seventy or older.

My last computer was bought at the giant Yodobashi Camera in Umeda Osaka, as my wife suddenly took a fancy to upgrading and I didn’t think she’d like to be dragged down to Den-Den Town to circle the bargain stores looking for the cheapest bargain. Our camera was similarly bought there, but my current mobile phone came from work; although we make the things at the office, staff discount amounts to no more than 5% off the new models, but they don’t copy the settings over from the old phone. Although I got my current phone at around half price (6,000 yen instead of 12,000 yen or so), the general hassle means that next time I’m upgrading as a dealer shop!
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Well, not me personally, but what Japanese themselves like to hear other people comment on, both for women and men. As usual, this was goo Ranking looking at this subject.

Demographics

Between the 23rd and 25th of June 2008 1,014 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.1% of the sample were male, 6.5% in their teens, 14.5% in their twenties, 31.0% in their thirties, 28.1% in their forties, 11.1% in their fifties, and 8.8% aged sixty or older. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample.

For me, it has to be intelligence and for loving my home life more than work, although I’ve never heard anyone in Japan praise me for that…
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This is a fun wee survey for your Sunday entertainment from goo Ranking, this time looking at what people think there might just be too much of these days.

Demographics

Between the 23rd and 25th of June 2008 1,014 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.1% of the sample were male, 6.5% in their teens, 14.5% in their twenties, 31.0% in their thirties, 28.1% in their forties, 11.1% in their fifties, and 8.8% aged sixty or older. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample.

I’d have to go with idiot celebrities myself, with number 4, quiz programmes packed with usually the same idiot celebrities. Pictured above are six professional idiots from the Hexagon quiz show, a show which has spawned almost as many groups as Morning Musume has.

Most of the idiots ham up their stupidness, and the quiz shows are sometimes (usually?) fixed so they can be even more entertainingly thick.
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Not surprisingly, according to this survey conducted by goo Research and reported on by japan.internet.com on the topic of taking electrical goods to the seaside, very few electrical items survived their salty plunges! Let this survey be a warning for you on your own summer holidays!

Demographics

Between the 15th and 18th of July 2008 1,094 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.8% of the sample were male, 10.0% in their teens, 24.9% in their twenties, 21.7% in their thirties, 19.3% in their forties, and 24.1% aged fifty or older.

I’ve never actually been to the beach in Japan; there’s not actually very much sand around the shores, and any place that does have it is more crowded than a rush-hour train. I was at a beach last week, though; two miles of perfect sand, not many more than two dozen people in total, perfect weather. Not unsurprisingly, this wasn’t in Japan!
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The SoftBank adverts are my favourites, although there is always the risk of over-exposure with the dog even recently featuring in a photo book and a DVD. However, this recent survey from BlogCh showed no signs of flagging popularity when they asked about mobile phone television commercials.

Demographics

Between the 15th and 17th of July 2008 370 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service successfully completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.0% of the sample were male, 14.6% in their twenties, 49.2% in their thirties, 28.6% in their forties, and 7.6% in their teens or over fifty.

I wonder if they’ll have the SoftBank dog using the iPhone? Given that another survey today indicated that the euphoria has passed, will they trot out their dog to flog some more kit? Will they introduce a new character? They had five rather unpleasant cats recently but they only lasted a week or so. Oh, and here is Dante Carver, the black guy who plays second fiddle to a white dog.

Q3 also brings me to another pet hate (as it were) with the SoftBank mutt coming tops as a fireworks partner. Back in the UK, in the run-up to November the 5th they’d be public service advertisements and other reminders to keep pets indoors to avoid them getting spooked by fireworks, but I’ve never heard of such a thing over here.

Finally, if you’re a SoftBank customer, here’s your chance to win a talking Oto-san bank or strap and free Oto-san themed games and deco-mail!
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